Do you agree with Bill Maher that fat shaming needs to make a come back?

All the problems caused by being fatBill Maher reminds us that being fat used to be a bad thing. Should we start telling people they're fat again so they'll lose the weight or should we let people think they're beautiful despite the fact they're a beached whale?

What Girls & Guys Said

I don't think it's a good strategy overall. I'd prefer offering to help fat people instead of shaming them. Shaming them might even sometimes have the opposite effect, especially if it starts to resemble bullying.

It's like would shaming a drug addict actually help them quit drugs? It might actually make the problem worse. They need rehab more than shaming as I see it. That said, I certainly don't think fat positivity/acceptance is helpful whatsoever. To me that'd be like junkie or alcoholic positivity/acceptance.

Or like does shaming a suicidal person make them less suicidal? Or would it be better to offer psychiatric help? Perhaps it's okay to shame suicide as an action, and I don't think it's so bad to shame obesity as a state, but I definitely think it's too risky, and prone to harm, to specifically shame a person.

It's like it might be a good idea to shame the general idea of narcotics use (independent of any specific individual) to discourage people from using drugs, but I don't think it's helpful to specifically shame an addict who needs help.

I don't know if the general populace can grasp this distinction and nuance though that they can shame a behavior without actually shaming a specific person. Sometimes it seems like people are sheep. They learn that some behavior is bad and then they start pointing fingers and shaming and laughing at everyone who performs that behavior with no empathy whatsoever.

Why does it have to be one or the other? Tell people to be healthy and watch their weight. it doesn't have to be shaming. I've never shamed anyone for being overweight but I also never said being fat is healthy. Overweight causes a lot of health problems. This should be taught in school.

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Anonymous

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Shaming is where I draw a line for unacceptable.

Most people I know that are fat / overweight do not really enjoy it. But for one reason or another, they have a lot of trouble losing weight (e. g. you manage a business and literally spend 10+ hours / day behind a desk, so you're not moving or using calories). Others actually have health problems like cardiovascular disease. These are things that people usually do not choose. As such, shaming is just a cruel thing to do.

Probably the only thing I'll ever agree with Bill Maher on in that being fat used to be bad and it needs to be made known today how bad it is for you and be seen as a bad thing again because it certainly isn't healthy or good for you.